Information distribution via a network is frequently performed. On the Web, various pieces of information or data such as map information, TV program table information, music information, and movie information are supplied from various information-providing sites. Information-providing portal sites may be customized for each user. For example, each user can log into a portal site by inputting a user ID or password that are registered in advance.
If pieces of information unique to each user, for example, favorite music information, favorite movie content information, and pieces of information about URLs of sites providing the music information and the movie content information, are registered in advance in a user portal site, the user can instantly access a desired one of these sites via the portal. Thus, the portal can provide a user-friendly environment.
Such a portal site has customized or separate settings for different users. In order to access such a portal site, it is necessary for each user to input user information such as a user ID or a password. Alternatively, it is necessary for each user to hold the user's IC card or the user's portable terminal with an IC card function over a PC with a reader/writer (R/W) function. In this case, the PC reads out user information registered in the IC card and accesses such a portal site using the read user information.
For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2002-269508 discloses a system in which an IC card is held against or over a PC with a reader/writer (R/W) function, information stored in the IC card is output to the PC, and then the information is displayed on a display screen of the PC.
Currently, a service for storing user data in a server such as a particular user's owned content and managing the stored user data is available. For example, there is a content storage and management service that allows a user to transmit (upload) content (music, image, or video content) acquired via a network or acquired from a medium such as a DVD or CD to a content management server. The content can be downloaded from the content management server when necessary. With such a service, it is unnecessary for a client to have its own storing means for long term storing of the content. The client can manage content using only a general purpose Web browser.
As described previously, various pieces of information such as TV program table information, music information, and movie information are provided on the Web. When a user views such pieces of information, the user may want to purchase music content, movie content, TV program content, or TV theme song content. However, an information-providing site is not directly linked to a content-purchase site in many cases. Accordingly, if the user finds content that the user wants to purchase on an information-providing site, it is necessary for the user to access another content-purchase site, find the content that the user wants to purchase, and perform a purchase process for the content with the content-purchase site.
That is, it is necessary for the user to perform a complicated process of accessing an information-providing site, viewing the information-providing site, checking content information such as the title of content that the user wants to purchase, accessing a content-purchase site, retrieving the content that the user wants to purchase, and performing a purchase process for the retrieved content. If the user cannot find the content that the user wants to purchase in the accessed content-purchase site, it is necessary for the user to repeatedly perform the above-described process, that is, access another site to retrieve the content that the user wants to purchase. This inefficient process frequently occurs.